Learning to Shoot Straight

/They came for you at night, just as he had said they would/ They came for you your first night alone/ They came for you as the snow was falling/ They came for you as the snow was falling and the clock did that weird thing it does when the minute hand hesitates around three past midnight/ You had been sitting in your chair under your brightest light, a book in your lap and the gun in your hand/ You liked this gun/ It was the one from the closet/ It was the one that he had taught you to shoot/ You remembered thinking how cool it had been standing there, not having to wear the big ugly earphones the others wore to protect their ears/ You remember him holding you in a perfect firing stance/ The feel of him pressing against your back, his hands steadying your wrists/ You remember the smell of him/ He would tap your wrist and you would squeeze the trigger/ You had loved the feel of the kick/ You had loved how hard he would squeeze your shoulders as you aced perfect shots in the ten ring every time/ Okay, fuck it/ You missed him/ He had been gone barely a week but you fucking missed him and you really, really had to try to not think about it/ He had told you to take down the gun when he left/ He had told you to sleep during the day because they would come for you at night/ He had told you to put your chair in a corner and let nothing get behind you/ They would be crafty/ They were dangerous/ And they would not be stopped/ could not be stopped unless they were killed/ That was why he had to go away/ He hoped you would understand/ He hoped you were as strong as you seemed/ He wanted it to be you/ He knew you would survive/ you always survive/

//They came for you that night//

//And at first, you did not understand//

​/He had looked at you and you had ached/ You wanted to call out to him but he shook his head and stared at the gun/ and now here you are, dropped unceremoniously onto the altar/floor before them/ corner/ get to the corner/ don't let them behind you/ you fire and you fire and he looks at you and smiles/ ten ring/ ten ring/ ten ring/ almost done my love/ be strong/ We have parts/ This is a song/ There is a dance/ They are hungry to feed/ you fire and you fire and he steps closer and close/ his teeth/ so long now/ you fire perfect shots/ ten ring blows in each of his joints taking his mobility/ his height/ his strength/ he crawls/ now slides to you/ a weak hand on the socks covering your ankles/ a bite/ broken shattered fingers signing/ Fear not the now/ Prepare yourself for next/ and he latches on/ and you fumble the box of bullets/ and they cascade to the floor/ and